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The Great Wall of Whiner · Joined: 29 Jan 2003 Posts: 4946 Location: Blabbing

I hear it daily; from co-workers to guests. From students' parents to the the students themselves. Anything negative that happens in America, rest assured it will appear on good 'ol CCTV news. Forget that they are the largest foreign aid donor on the planet or that America has held off the starvation of millions of the poorest for decades.

I am not American, and I do have issues with American foreign policy at times. But Oh My Lady Gaga is it getting to the point of overkill.

Anyone else notice it? And has anyone come across the Brit, the Canuck, or the Kiwi who just jumped on the bandwagon to 'fit in'?

"Americans always _____" (fill in the blank)

Some recent examples:

Americans like war!

Americans eat lots of junk food!

Americans are yellow!

But if you say anything slightly negative about China (the government and/or policies, not the people) it is automatically "You are bashing Chinese people! Racist!!"

Has anyone come across this? Why is being critical of say... the one child policy an attack against all Chinese people and 'China bashing' yet the reverse (say something about Americans as a people) is completely acceptable?

Anyone come across this? How do you handle it? Ignore it? Join in?

Miles Smiles · Joined: 07 Jun 2010 Posts: 1294 Location: Heebee Jeebee

I don't discuss politics in class (or with students at all) except to give a pep talk and tell them that this a wonderful time for China and that their mastery of English will give them a leg up in the job market.

I HAVE noticed a LOT more students yelling "*beep* you!" during the past year as I walk across campus between classes.

Lobster · Posted: Mon Nov 21, 2011 2:13 pm Post subject:

No I haven't noticed any increase in anti-Americanism either on TV news or through conversations. I'd expect to see that if the Americans did something to really irk the government here, like during the spy plane incident. The tendency of Republican candidates for the 2012 election to talk tough about China has led me to notice more anti-China sentiment in American media lately. Nobody has ever yelled "beep you" at me in China, ever. Not in 11 years. They do have a lot of incorrect stereotypes of Americans here, mostly because of Hollywood, and I try to correct these when they pop up. As for the US government giving their country a black eye; well that's their choice and they can live with it. Most foreigners I meet here, including Americans, make a sharp distinction between Americans as people and the US government.

Maybe people here don't accept your critiques of China, however constructive they may be, due to your status as a guest in their country. Perhaps rather than criticizing domestic policies such as one child per family, you could try biting your tongue and talking about the weather. When you find the person or country that enjoys criticism, let us know. Yes, people from western countries are more likely to acknowledge criticisms as valid, but that doesn't mean they like it or will view you in a better light.

Seriously, some people here come across more as frustrated PoliSci professors than English teachers. Look at it this way. If you don't like my wife's cooking, don't accept the dinner invitation. Don't come by and complain that there's not enough salt in the food or the vegetables are under cooked. That's just rude. I hope you can understand this analogy.

RED

choudoufu · Joined: 25 May 2010 Posts: 3325 Location: Mao-berry, PRC

xiguagua · Joined: 09 Oct 2011 Posts: 768

Lobster · Posted: Mon Nov 21, 2011 4:32 pm Post subject:

I just tell them this. "Westerners have no idea what China is like, and Chinese have the wrong idea of what the west is like. Which do you think is worse?"

RED

The Great Wall of Whiner · Joined: 29 Jan 2003 Posts: 4946 Location: Blabbing

Lobster · Posted: Mon Nov 21, 2011 4:56 pm Post subject:

You are developing the attitude of a good guest and a gentleman. Certainly you'd guess in advance that she could ruin fried eggs and that my kids are spoiled, foul-mouthed brats. You'll have to bring a bottle of wine and pay for your own taxi home. Did I mention that the house was filthy? What did you expect? It's not an invitation from the yacht club.

RED

Guerciotti · Posted: Mon Nov 21, 2011 4:59 pm Post subject:

I only hear anti-American sentiments from one foreign teacher. He likes to push buttons so to speak.

Instead of commenting on Chinese social policy I let the class debate the topic. I only provide the topic, then I try my best to just shut up. This works as well or better than anything else I tried. Actually, now that I think about it, this works great.

I never hear "FU" but I'm fairly new.

I only had one problem last year when I was walking downtown with a Chinese gal who dressed to kill.

dean_a_jones · Joined: 03 Jul 2009 Posts: 1151 Location: Wuhan, China

wangdaning · Joined: 22 Jan 2008 Posts: 3154

Criticisms in America, especially by a foreign teacher, are more likely to be met with aggression. Your average American ain't to pleased by some Chinese teacher criticizing their country. You would expect the same in China.

I can't imagine what it would be like if when I was studying Chinese at uni my teacher decided to make the class about problems with the US government and what they thought about it. I think the teacher would find their job a very short term one.

I am with Guerciotti on this. It is my students responsibility to share their ideas on the topic. My opinion is not their business. I do raise certain questions to them to illicit a more complete answer. Evidence, examples, not just I think. I would do the same with generalizations the students might make of people from other countries. Tell them they are unconvincing or lack evidence. Get them to understand why their ideas need support. Whatever you do don't turn it in to your thoughts on problems in China, unless you are teaching a class on modern Chinese policy or something like that. It is not really the place for your opinion.

Students just grasping the language should not be forced into a debate with their teacher where they must defend their country. Let them debate with each other, be critical of their ideas regardless of whether you agree or not, and allow them to develop their own ideas.

Miles Smiles · Joined: 07 Jun 2010 Posts: 1294 Location: Heebee Jeebee

I had an interesting conversation with a CT recently. He complained about the growing disparity between the haves and the have-nots in China. I told him that there was a similar growing problem in the U.S.. He could not believe it.

He cited how poor many urban and rural dwellers are across China, and how things seem to be getting worse. He was convinced that the U.S. and Europe had NEVER had it so bad. He was incredulous when I told him that the only way that my grandparents (immigrants themselves) survived the Great Depression was by subletting rooms in the house they were renting, and by picking rags, coal, and scrap metal. I showed him online photos of soup kitchens of the 1930's and the migrant workers of the Dust Bowl. He refused to believe that they were anything more than isolated incidents put out for propaganda purposes.

So yeah, GWoW is right. Americans have no idea about China about China, and China has the wrong ideas about America.

mrwslee003 · Joined: 14 Nov 2009 Posts: 190

Its all too true!

Chinese in China generally have no idea what is the real America and Americans in the US have just as little true understanding of what it is
like in real China. Therefore the misconception and misunderstanding
between peoples. On the bigger scale misunderstanding leads to frustration and misinterpretation of each others foreign policies and tension escalates and then maybe the birth of political conflicts leading
to military conflicts.

How do you think the cold war started? How do you think the 3rd WW will
start? Humankind has a choice to try harder to understand and try harder to accept differences as norm for those living under different
circumstances.

That's why I feel the Fts have an important task-try to spread a little
understanding by giving a truer picture to those they come in contact with.

Fts are important to the host nation and to the home nation!

jayjjasper · Joined: 27 Aug 2011 Posts: 344

Like water off a ducks back!

Seth · Joined: 05 Feb 2003 Posts: 575 Location: in exile

Anti-Americanism itself doesn't bother me so much, I tend to agree with a lot of it. What does bother me is 'Americans are this and that' as then it starts to get personal. For one, it's illogical, you can't expect a nation of 300 million who can't agree on the simplest things to all act alike. I actually experience that more in the UK than in China, although I think it's just because the Chinese are more outwardly polite.

I was in China during the invasion of Iraq, at my school one of the elementary classes had a project of filling in a cartoon dialog involving Bush in some kind of vampire pose. They hung up the finished results in the hallway. I didn't take the time to try to read them all (in Chinese), I just remember that one said 'I hate you'. Bush saying I hate you, that is. Now, I'm certainly not a fan of Bush nor US foreign policy in the least, but I can't imagine any other country that would encourage school children to do such a thing outside of maybe some Middle Eastern countries. It all seemed very cynical and exploitative.

I never got any 'FU's, although I did get a little girl in class say 'Nimen hen huai!'. She decided to sit on my lap a few minutes later, so I guess she didn't hate me that much!